Nowadays the Indian Real estate business world is more characterized as being competitive, challenging and complex. We must consider three major competitive advantages which can help an organization to increase sales develop productivity and therefore competitiveness – price, quality and improved customer service.

Customer service can serve to increase your customer’s loyalty and to provide a customer with successful relationship management, it may not result in new customers. If a customer has never worked with a firm before, how will they know that you are able to provide them with excellent customer service? This leaves us with quality. And what would one good way for architecture, real estate, engineering, design and marketing industries to improve the quality of their services?

The answer would be 3D Visualization.

3D Visualization has changed the dynamics, planning and control of construction, developers and engineering industries for the better. By availing of 3D rendering services, engineering and construction companies can bring about huge improvements in efficiency, efficacy and in reducing costs and time. Solid modeling shortens design cycles, streamlines manufacturing processes and accelerates product introductions and its presence on the market which is very much beneficial in Indian real estate market where you need to hit the costumers at the right time and with the right marketing material.

In architecture, real estate and design industries, 3D views offer architects and planners to view the construction and interiors even before a single brick is laid. The result is dramatically lower costs since costly changes do not have to be made at the construction stage. Clients of building projects can also get to view how such projects may look like before investing in them. What’s more, 3D rendering can be published online, making them available to a wide range of customers across the world.

Finally with advertising, marketing, graphic and web designer companies the ultimate purpose of 3D visualization is either to help advertise their own business or to help advertise their customers’ business.

It is our opinion that the main 3D rendering customers (by other words, the main industries which could benefit from 3D visualization, as 3D renderings improve the quality of their services and products) are:

Oil & Gas industry known for its indulgence in technology, has been using GIS for many purposes related to planning, strategy and decision making. A fully integrated GIS system has benefits not just in terms of cost saving but a better preparedness for future planning and potential hazards. We have listed down some important benefits of GIS in Oil & Gas industry, feel free to comment and add.

• Data visualization maps Data in the form of digital maps reduce the work time for Oil & Gas companies. Such maps help improve operational efficiency and better coordination in day to day operations.

• Site monitoring through flying sensorsTo plan a major change and to oversee a particular site, flying sensors are deployed nowadays. The survey gets you updated information and visuals of the site to check the development.

• Pipe line routing & monitoringIn the capital intensive Oil & Gas industry, finding the least expensive and environment friendly route for pipe lines is very important. GIS goes a long way in helping decide the optimum route.

• Tracking of mobile assets like ships, vehicles and boatsIn order to save time and achieve effective operational coordination and efficiency, tracking of movable assets for Oil & Gas firms becomes essential. GIS is useful in tracking these assets.

• Emergency responseIn the wake of an unfortunate oil spill/explosion/accident of any nature, rescue plans and disaster mitigation efforts get the boost of GIS for more effective coordination and efforts.

• Land managementAttributes stored in GIS allow the companies to maintain all the land management data, which helps in generating reports for audit and compliance.

• Environmental monitoringTo accurately monitor environment development and changes is very important, consideration of such changes in decision making process helps avoid potential disaster. Monitoring gradual changes can help the industry in determining measures to overcome future challenges and ensure business continuity.

BIM and Sustainability :

In today’s fragmented world of highly specialised expertise in narrow fields we risk losing sight of these aims. The paradigm of sustainability is simply an effort to bring these aims back into focus. Daniel Lindahl identifies five broad areas of focus for sustainable building…

What is Sustainability? At is simplest, living within your means, or not taking on debts you are unable to pay back. More broadly, for us all as a community (local and global) living in a way that has no adverse impact on our planet, i.e. living within our global means. It’s all about sensitive appropriate design. However, it needs a pragmatic approach as the path to sustainability may take several unexpected turns and the aims of sustainability are sometimes at odds with each other.

This article will deal mostly with good architectural practice, and will only touch on BIM where this facilitates good sustainable building design.

In 1972 Welsh architect Alex Gordon wrote about the need for “Long Life, Loose Fit, Low Energy”; Today this would translate to sustainability, flexibility and energy efficiency. His paper crystallised the counter-culture reaction to corporate excesses in the 70’s, and though largely forgotten today, helped bring the concept of sustainability into today’s mainstream thinking.

I have here identified these five broad areas of focus for sustainable building and will elaborate on them in more detail: context, labour, materials, operation and longevity. However, as there is no preset template for sustainable design this article is really more of a checklist of the aspects of a building project that should be considered with a view to achieving sustainable outcomes.

CONTEXT

The Local EnvironmentChoosing the right site for the project is one of the most important aspects of a project. The building needs to fit in with the terrain so that cut and fill is avoided, minimised, and equalised to avoid the need to carry soil to or from the site during construction. There should be minimal disruption to natural water flows and the ground water table. This can be achieved through sensitive design where minimal paved areas which are highly permeable, and retaining roof water in tanks or dams on the site for garden or other non-potable use.

Careful assessment of existing flora and fauna where this is relevant is also necessary and existing vegetation and wildlife corridors need to be preserved where possible. It is important to analyse the local microclimate to make best use of the local breezes, sunlight, and rainfall for passive climate control as well as power generation. There are many buzzwords in this vein around the theme of sustainable design, such as “biophilia” and “green building”, but really it all amounts to building in harmony with nature.

The Local CommunityA new building, its function, and occupants, also needs to exist in harmony with its neighbours. Sustainability requires a symbiotic relationship between the different parts of a neighbourhood. Shops, services, and other commercial enterprises function better if they complement each other rather than being in direct competition. Community well-being and harmony comes from shared values and sensibilities though this should not negate the need to challenge established and unquestioned norms from time to time.

The Local InfrastructureExisting water supply, waste disposal, transportation network, power and telecommunication utilities are often inadequate for large projects and need to be augmented. In other areas these services can exceed demand. Fitting the projects location to services that already exist as well as adopting alternatives that reduce dependence on such services is an important aspect of sustainability.

I believe that in the future this is an aspect of town planning that can greatly benefit from BIM, through the integration of all the BIM databases for the various projects within a community.

LABOUR

Site LogisticsThe construction process needs to be carried out with minimal disruption to the surrounding community, and in such a way that pollution in the form of dust, silt and noise is reduced to a minimum or eliminated completely.

Site access, on-site storage of materials, means of moving building components in place, all need to be carefully planned to minimise handling time, effort, and cost. Some BIM-software programs are now capable of generating construction animations to explore alternatives for cranage and other site logistics. This is as yet little used in projects to date, but offers great scope for making better project planning decisions.

Existing Local ResourcesEmploying workers from the local labour pool for a project will reduce commute times, travel costs and the associated carbon emissions. It will also enhance project buy-in and support from the local community.

Procurement MethodsWhile procurement methods may seem to have little to do with sustainability, competitive tendering is by its nature adversarial and wasteful of human resources in the bidding process, and does little to foster harmony. It also encourages cutting corners and promotes a focus on short term gain, rather than the long term thinking needed for true sustainability.

Non-adversarial procurement methods such as negotiated contracts, partnering, alliances, are more collaborative and encourages all in the team to think about long-term gains.

MATERIALS

Non-toxicIt would seem obvious that building materials should be non-toxic. However, over the years more and more of the materials in common use have been found to be harmful. Among these are: lead, asbestos, arsenic, as well as many plastics still in common use such as BPA and PVC. These create high levels of toxic pollutants either in production, installation, or ongoing use. The pollutants are chemical wastes in production, off-gassing of paints and vinyls through their early life, as well as release of dioxins in fires or disposal.

There is currently strong debate about whether PVC should be banned, and some countries have already begun to do so. It is one of the most common plastics used in buildings, chiefly in the form of plumbing pipes, insulation, siding but also many other items. Of particular concern in all plastics is the use of volatile carcinogenic halogens, chiefly chlorine, bromine and fluorine.

RenewableRenewable building materials are mainly: timber, grass and palm-leaves (for thatched roofs), and fabric from natural fibres. Non-renewable building materials are: extractive minerals such as steel, copper and aluminium, stone, clay in the form of bricks and tiles, glass (from sand), and petrochemicals that go into plastics and synthetic fibres.

At its simplest level, renewable sources are preferable to non-renewable, but there are many nuances to this. Tropical hardwoods can almost be classified as a non-renewable material, since cutting them and bringing them to market causes widespread environmental damage and their regrowth is much slower than the rate of harvesting. Stone, clay, and sand are plentiful, so their use as building materials is not likely to ever cause any depletion, and their non-renewable status can largely be discounted.

DurableMost renewable materials are subject to various forms of decay, mainly in the form of rot, insect attack, decomposition, wear, UV breakdown due to sun exposure, or dilapidation caused by gravity in sagging structures. If exposed to weather they usually need applied finishes to extend their service life. However, many of such applied finishes have a degree of toxicity, and the need to regularly re-apply the finish makes this a less sustainable solution.

Non-renewable materials are often more durable and usually do not need applied finishes. However, some of the softer materials can still be subject to abrasion due to wind, sand, rain, regular use, and dilapidation from earthquakes or subsidence, as well as corrosion in the case of metals.

The greater durability of non-renewable materials will sometimes tip the scales in their favour for a sustainable outcome.

Embodied EnergyEmbodied energy can be thought of in two ways. Natural embodied energy is the energy stored in carbon-based products such as timber. This is generally beneficial for sustainable building as new growth plantation timber sequesters a lot of CO2 through photosynthesis and when it is used more new growth takes its place.

However, in the context of sustainability the term embodied energy usually means the energy input required first in the extraction: fuel for mining, forestry machinery, cutting; secondly in the processing and manufacture: production of metals from ore, steel sheet and beams from iron, cement from lime, bricks from clay, milling of timber; thirdly transportation costs; and last, the energy required to trim, work, and use those materials in the construction project.

These types of embodied energy, particularly transportation over great distances, are often a decisive factor in evaluating sustainability.

Waste MinimisationThe extent of raw materials used in a project can be reduced significantly at several levels in their journey from nature to components in the finished building. With good foresight and planning waste can be minimized in the manufacturing process, in the extraction, the milling, and in the determination of optimal milled or manufactured unit sizes,

Similarly foresight and planning for waste reduction at the project level can be achieved through the architect’s determination of design dimensions and patterns to make full use of boards and sheets as marketed, and in the intelligent use of off-cuts in the project for smaller components. The only limit to this is the designer’s imagination.

Often builders burn all off-cuts in the project clean-up at the end of the job. This is a practice that needs to be eliminated, as it not only wastes resources, but creates pollutants.

OPERATION

Energy Analysis

One of the most critical aspects of sustainable design is in planning for low energy use in the ongoing operation of the building. A thorough evaluation of design options and materials used in regard to orientation, heat transmission, heat retention, natural cooling and ventilation, and daylighting, will assist in optimising the design.

Today’s BIM-software programs can greatly facilitate this. ArchiCAD has a built-in energy evaluation functionality with detailed calculations of heat transmission, and infiltration for all building operation types, materials, openings, shading devices, orientation and location. This program tool has direct links to all region specific climatic data, evaluating different HVAC options, calculating energy consumption, costs and CO2 emissions over a year. Revit has conceptual energy analysis tools which give a broad analysis of the impact of various building forms. For more detailed analysis at the materials level there are also external plug-in programs available.

Clean, renewable energy sources have been around for a long time. Long before electricity was harnessed for power, water wheels and windmills were used to grind flour and mill timber. Waterwheels evolved into hydroelectric power, the mainstay of power generation in the early days. Solar hot water generation has also now been in use for several decades.

Today’s resurgence of interest in clean energy sources has led to great developments in technology and advances are made in the use of clean wind powered energy, photovoltaic solar power cells, wave energy, as well as capping of garbage dumps to generate methane fuel from waste. There are also many new developments in the use of daylighting for offices and other deep plate buildings. By the means of light shelves, tubes, or other devices, natural day light is reflected and directed to all working areas, eliminating the need for electric lighting in the daytime.

There will no doubt be several further developments in all these directions. The aim is for communities to be self-sustaining in clean power generation, and we are finally getting to the point where this is looking achievable.

There are also several active climate control systems, most notably air conditioning. These cannot be regarded as parts of the arsenal for sustainable building due to their heavy use of electricity. However, there have been several noteworthy developments towards energy conservation among these, and today’s heat pumps are far more efficient than the AC systems of a few decades ago.

Other innovations in active systems include smart glass which can be electrically controlled to become opaque and block out light, intelligent building systems which sense the number of occupants in a space and adjusting the climate control accordingly, geothermal space heating which circulates water through boreholes up to 200m down into bedrock tapping the higher core temperatures at that level, and heat exchange ventilation systems which heat up the incoming fresh air with the outgoing stale air.

Operational Logistics and ManagementFor a building to continue to function in a sustainable manner all aspects of how it is being used on an ongoing basis need to be carried out with that vision in mind.

Its supplies should be locally sourced, and easily and logically stored and accessed. Waste disposal needs to be easily managed, making full use of recycling, composting, and reuse. The building’s passive and active systems also need monitoring and regular cleaning and maintenance.

A good passive system can easily be rendered useless through the occupants’ ignorance of its function. One good example of this is a case where the architect came back to a building after some time to find the daylighting system was not working as expected. The light shelf near the top of the windows, which was to reflect light back to the ceiling further into the building was now filled with a long row of books!

SimplicityA complex design is rarely optimal. Good planning and design with open permeable spaces and related functional areas grouped together is usually best achieved through simple, easily read solutions.

LONGEVITY

AdaptabilityThis is where the ‘loose fit’ paradigm comes into play. When planning for a particular use it’s a good idea to always consider the possibility of future changed use. Make spaces slightly more than minimum requirements. Design more for optimising materials use and site use than for minimum functional use.

Accommodate future changed practices, the incorporation of new technology, and multi-purpose spaces. A narrow passage, for instance, is simply a dead transition space. With 0.5m extra width it can be a library. This kind of thinking should be applied in all space planning.

ScalablePlan for growth. Make provision for future expansion sideways and upwards. Bear in mind that property values always grow faster in the heart of our cities, and a building that will not accommodate growth and increased site density will become obsolete much sooner than expected.

AccessibilityPlan for full accessibility by all potential interest groups, not just for what current legislation requires. Disability standards are frequently updated, and it’s a good idea to do some private research and experimentation to discover what actually works.

Infrastructure Present / FutureService runs within the building should be simple, well documented and easily accessed for future changes and maintenance. Try to also discover or anticipate any future changes to surrounding roads, transportation network and service grids.

ResilienceFor a long life it goes without saying that a building needs to have a sound structure, able to withstand use and weather without knocks, wear, dilapidation and aging. However, a sustainable design would also factor in the ease of dismantling the structure and other building components in the future, when demolition or alterations become inevitable.

In the 70’s many office buildings were erected with in-situ post-tensioned concrete beams and floor plates to achieve larger spans. Many of these would now be nearing the end of their useful life, but their demolition is problematic as the built-in stresses would be explosive and difficult to control.

Risk MitigationBuilding codes usually cover this, though sometimes inadequately. Good sustainable design needs to factor in all potential risks such as fire, storm, or earthquakes, as well as other personal hazards like slippage, falls, and injuries.

CONCLUSIONWhat I have outlined above is what I would hope most architects would consider self-evident aims of good design for all time. In today’s fragmented world of highly specialised expertise in narrow fields we risk losing sight of these aims. The paradigm of sustainability is simply an effort to bring these aims back into focus.

I have only mentioned BIM in passing, but would add here that the collaborative nature of BIM is the perfect vehicle for restoring this big picture thinking to all the experts working on their specialised parts of a project, and serves to maintain that vision. Reference Daniel Lindahl

Dynamo for Rebar is now available! CORE Studio’s third open source Dynamo package – Dynamo for Rebar – has been released this week. It provides a parametric interface for Revit’s 2016 Rebar API, which allows for the creation of single reinforcing bar elements and rebar container elements in Revit. Dynamo for Rebar enables iterative, parametric rebar design inside of Dynamo 0.8.2 and Revit 2016.

Dynamo for Rebar is an Open-Source project available on github and Dynamo’s package manager. The library contains a set of nodes helping you to create bars and containers in Revit, and provides a set of nodes for creating the base curvature of single bars or entire rebar containers.

Rebar Nodes

The nodes in this group are specific to the Revit 2016 Rebar API. They are the core nodes in the package that allow for parametric rebar design in Dynamo. The utility nodes and nodes for curve generation (outlined below) are designed to work well with these rebar nodes.

Create RebarCreates one single bar element in Revit from a curve and and a series of rebar properties.

Create Rebar ContainerCreates a rebar container element from a list of curves and a series of rebar properties. The use of containers is highly encouraged as Revit can get bogged down by thousands of rebar family instances in your model. Containers are like groups of rebars in a single family instance.

The nodes in this package for creating curves are powerful tools on their own; they allow the user to parameterize any surface in Dynamo, and create curves along it for any use downstream. Of course one good downstream use is the creation of rebar containers, but it’s up to you!

Curves following a surfaceThis node creates a set of curves following the geometry of a selected surface (most polysurfaces will also work). It divides the surface in one dimension – either U or V – regularly. You can define the number of divisions (or optionally, a distance to divide the surface by), and the direction of the curves.

Curves morphing between two curvesThis node creates a set of morphed curves between two border curves. It requires two curves to blend between, and creates either a fixed number of curves between them or divides by a defined distance.

Curves perpendicular to one surfaceThis node creates a set of linear curves normal to a surface. It requires the selection of a driving surface and a set of bounding faces to define the end of the projection. According to a selected height, the node will divide the surface along this height into a selected number points. It will then draw lines along the normals at this points, break the line at any obstacle and continue until the bounding surfaces.

Utility Nodes

These nodes in this group are mostly designed for use downstream of the rebar nodes.

Cut Rebar Container by PlaneThe cut rebar node cuts a selected rebar container at a selected surface. The result will be either the left or the right side of the division.

Shorten Curve from both endsThis node shortens a selected curve from both ends by the same distance.

Tag (any) Revit ElementThe tag element node creates a tag of any taggable revit element in the current Revit view. It requires a revit element as an input and if the tag should be horizontal or vertical or having a leader or not.

Select NodesThis set of nodes also comes with a very generic one: A node to select multiple edges. This allows you to select any number of edges from your Revit model and use them in Dynamo to create bars or even place adaptive components along them (see Image).

Floating Water Platforms: Construction & Uses : Although most modern construction takes place on dry land, sometimes building on top of water has its benefits too. Floating platforms form the basis of on-water construction, which can be used for a variety of purposes.

Types of Floating Platforms

Whether you’re looking for moderate or deep water applications, there are floating platform construction models designed to suit a variety of industries.

Unlike large ships and barges, floating platforms can be stably constructed without ballasting or using an excess of materials. These structures have low buoyancy, which makes them cost-effective but limits the loads that they can hold. Some projects require more buoyancy, and for those, tanks can be added to the sides and cavities. It’s important that on-water construction projects can withstand high winds and waves in case of hurricanes and other storms.

Power Platforms

The most common use for offshore construction is to produce and transmit gas, electricity, and oil. Some engineers fully construct the facility on land and then tow the structure out to the water. Modular construction is often used to construct individual pieces of the platform on shore and then lift them into place with a crane.

Oil platforms are typically fixed installations that remain in key locations. Related floating vessels include drilling rigs for deep water extraction and jack-up floating designs that include a barge with legs. When floating platform construction requires extensive labor, floating hotel vessels are used to accommodate workers.

Wind Power and Electricity

In the U.S., wind power has emerged as a very promising source of electricity. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that 30 percent of new generating capacity over the last five years was attributed to wind turbines.

Offshore wind turbines require engineers to design floating platforms that are tethered to the ocean’s floor. Off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, engineers are using $232 million of government dollars to build a deep water platform with wind turbines. To help stabilize the platform, engineers added more bolts to prevent sway, added more transformer oil, and raised the oil tank height.

“We believe that a downwind design will have particular advantages for a wind turbine mounted on a floating platform that is subject to tilting, such as higher generation efficiency” wrote Mitsuru Saeki, Hitachi senior project manager, who also pointed out that downwind turbines track changes in wind angles when they blow from the side.

Residential Real Estate

Living near or even on the water is a big perk for many homeowners, so floating platforms also have a place in residential real estate. Experienced construction companies can create building foundations, gangway platforms, ferry landings, fuel stations, and housing structures on the water.

Concrete floats are popular to use as support structures for floating homes because of concrete’s strength and stability. Just as with any home construction process, concrete floats must also be level, buoyant, varmint-free, and have in-floor heating and insulation. Most floating home platforms are built in a depth of about five feet, although they typically need only about three feet to float. Floating platforms can even be used for large venues, such as The Float at Marina Bay in Singapore, which is used for concert performances and exhibitions. Reference viatechnik.

How to decide the returns received on BIM modeling cost incurred?

Determine the returns received on the bim modeling cost incurred during the pre-construction or design phase.

Tremendous changes have occurred in construction industry with the development of technology. Nowadays, the typewriters and drawing boards are replaced by computer software to produce construction documentation. Other most important revolution in construction industry is Building Information Modeling (BIM), which makes significant change in efficiency and accuracy. Implementation of BIM can reduce the design fees that should be paid. But, at the same time, BIM modeling cost under BIM implementation is increased.

BIM transfers the quality digital information from briefing through design and construction and finally to the owner-operators of the building. So, the person, who gets most benefits from BIM, is the owner operator. Some of the important features of BIM are the following.

BIM helps analyze building design and thermal calculations and reduce energy-use significantly, as it enables use of renewable energy, improved design of the building fabric and services and simple decisions like the building’s position with respect to its environment.

BIM provide the clients with high quality digital information, with which they can help the maintenance of the facility. The digital information ensures happening of maintenance at an optimal schedule.

With the help of modeling the building, the clients can make informed decisions at design time about the quality of the products and they can be installed in their facility.

Another major benefit of BIM is cost saving. It is very difficult and costly to correct the clashes between structure and the services on construction site. The costs will increase along with the increase in the number of clashes and that will lead to a great loss to the owner. AsBIM helps early detection of clashes, this problem can be solved to a great extent.

Working with incomplete or badly co-ordinated construction document may force the construction team for further information. It is also expensive to rework on design, if the construction has already started. As BIM enables digital construction at design time and the physical construction second time, this problem is solved.

All these above described points do not mean that design fees is reduced in the BIM. But, if you are ready to spend extra on designing in BIM,you can save 20% on construction cost and 60% on operation cost. The method to reduce BIM modeling cost in the design phase is to create pre-design templates combined with common building elements such as geometric constituents and provisions. It helps produce similarly replicated buildings through the BIM template. So, we can save and improve designs by using standardized digital construction templates.

To conclude, even though the designers have to face rise of design fees in BIM adoption, they get value to the construction process and reward for this. However, if the designers get repeated business orders for similar projects from clients, the fees will reduce. But, use of BIM increases the efficiency of these projects and the margin of all members of the construction team.

A professionals cost depends on the worth added by the designer during the project. BIM models, through running simulations, handing over usable asset data and designing out clashes and waste, enables the designers to offer more value to their clients than the traditional design methods can. Demonstrating this value to the clients and receiving fees in proportion to the added value is the responsibility of the architects and engineers. reference bimforum knor more then contact us.

BIM Consulting Australia – An Industry Overview

Everybody says that BIM promised significant cost saving delivery. But still people are not clear about it. We still doubt on many things like how these savings will eventuate and who gets these cost savings and who gets the advantages in the future etc. But on a company or project-by-project basis, it is clearly evident that a shift to 3D process and BIM consulting Australia benefits construction industry significantly. In fact, many firms already reported that this technology ensure cost savings.

The construction industries in Australia reports that designers can save 30 percent of man hours by using 3D over 2-dimensional process. 4D programmers and 5D quantity surveyors also report that use of BIM enables to reduce the time taken for producing estimated and developing real time re-visioning from weeks to days. It also improves integrity and certainty of the model data.

Mechanical contractors report that BIM can reduce labor cost up to 30 percent with the help of reliable model data. Mechanical contractors are responsible for the integrated supply-chain workflows and prefabrication techniques.

Decisions taken in the early stage of construction can influence time and costs significantly. However, different professionals should be engaged at different phases of the process for various types of projects. For a commercial scale building project, 17 percent of the construction cost is for the indirect cost of preliminary drawings, head-office overhead expenses and margins. Remaining 83 percent is relegated to subcontract prices. So, those, who have the most to gain in a building project is subcontractors. This amount is used for efficient virtual design and construction process. In short, the margins of a subcontract may be as much seven times that of a head contractor.

But the situation is just opposite in a civil project such as a residential land subdivision. In Australia the subcontractors handle only 17% of the total cost. The advantage lies largely with the head contractor.

The resource sector like a gas pipeline project has higher relationship between direct and indirect costs than any other construction type. The indirect cost of a head contract can be nearly 45 percent of the project. Moreover the plant is owned and labor is employed by the head contractor and it will construct nearly 83% of the remaining 55 percent of the direct costs. A pipe line project is made more efficient after an engineering procurement only when the head contractor stand to gain in terms of profitability on delivery.

In short, Equal engagement of both the head contractor and subcontractor in providing advice on the construction of a plant is required to determine the savings.

To deliver greater certainty in the model information, owners and contractors should work with business. It helps reduce risks in a project and enhances the quality, cost and time for the project. The nature of the contract and its timing also has a significant role. Before entering into a construction contract, the owner gets all savings that result from lean and design. Once the head contract and different subcontracts are finalized, the terms of those contracts will determine who will own time and cost efficiency. The single point of truth for the entire project team is the designer’s parametric modeling at the outset. When the documentation and reliability of the model data is improved through each stage of revision, the resulting building design and construction ensure subcontractor costs are more predictable. It also makes the negotiations more transparent. The variations and extension of time are also reduced. reference bim forum know more then contact us.

World’s Longest Bridges and China’s New Record-Breaker

We recently explored how high modern engineering can go. The next logical question is, “how long can it go?” As you’ll soon discover, this question is a little trickier.

Measurement Wars

Architects and engineers have been comparing the world’s longest bridges for many years, but this is no easy task. You see, there is no standard way to measure the total length of a bridge, so measurement wars have ensued.

Some bridges are measured from the beginning of the entrance ramp to the end of the exit ramp. Others are measured from shoreline to shoreline, and still others are measured by the length of total construction involved in creating the bridge. Does a bridge have to be over water, or do elevated road bridges count too?

China’s Fascination with Long Bridges

China has dominated the realm of long bridges for many years now. At this time, China holds the record for the two longest bridges in the world: the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge and the Tianjin Grant Bridge. At a length of 102.4 miles and price tag of $8.5 billion, the Danyang Kunshan was opened in 2011 and crosses the Yangtze River and Yangcheng Lake. At 70.64 miles in length, the Tianjin Grand Bridge is a high-speed railway that runs between Beijing and Shanghai.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge

But once again, China intends to out-do itself. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is an ongoing construction project that will connect the Chinese cities of Hong Kong, Zhauhai, and Macau by a series of tunnels and bridges. Construction began in 2009, and it’s expected to be complete in 2015 and open for public use in 2016. It will be the world’s longest sea bridge, spanning about 31 miles in length.

This bridge differs from the others in China because it includes a 3.4-mile underwater tunnel with artificial islands joining the bridges on both sides, making it the first marine bridge and tunnel project in the country. According to the construction project official, Zhu Yongling, “It is designed with a service life of 120 years. It can withstand the impact of a strong wind with a speed of 51 meters a second.” Once completed, the bridge will allow six lanes of traffic traveling at 60 mph, which will cut travel times from Hong Kong to Zhuhai from four hours to one.

Other Long Bridges in the United States

Lake Pontchartrain Causeway: Located in southern Louisiana, this is currently the world’s longest continuousbridge over water, measuring 23.8 miles long.

Manchac Swamp Bridge: Also in Louisiana, this bridge measures 22.81 miles long and is the longest toll-free road bridge in the world.

Other Long Bridges in the World

Bang Na Expressway: Located in Thailand, this six-lane elevated highway crosses the Bang Pakong River and at 34 miles long, it earned the title of “world’s longest road bridge.”

Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge: This high speed railway was built in China in 2008 and runs 49.54 miles in length.

Jiaozhou Bay Bridge: Built in 2011, this Chinese bridge spans 26.4 miles and is currently the Guinness Book of World Record’s longest bridge over water.

Regardless of location and length, bridges connect people, places, and ideas. Bridges have the power to promote socio-economic development, create employment opportunities, and make our lives more efficient. Thanks to innovative engineering designs, like the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, our world can expand greater lengths than ever thought possible. reference viatechnik know more then contact us.

Cost estimation in construction using 5D BIM modeling

The BIM model that contains objects and assemblies to add cost dimension to it is called 5D BIM. The cost data is incorporated within the BIM model objects themselves or it is linked to estimating software tools. Thus 5D BIM modeling helps create a relationship between elements and include the properties and specification of each element and object. So, we can extract comprehensive and accurate information from the model used for costing.

A collaborative effort of people is required to get the maximum effect from the models. So, the main aim of 5D BIM is to enhance collaboration on projects. It also facilitates the management of the project overall. But, the designers have to generate appropriate 3D information and the construction team should check for clashes to become the 5D model effective. As 5D software is able to check clash detection, it can encourage a collaborative atmosphere throughout the project. BIM, through the use of a centralized model, enables automatic updating of the design changes and coordination among the project team.

Some benefits of 5D BIM cost modeling:

5D BIM Modeling can increase the visualization of projects such as construction details.

It helps the people to work together to make the models effective and thus enhance the collaboration on projects.

5D BIM improves the quality level of the finished projects because the users maintain the quality of data in BIM models.

As the costing of design options can be done during early design stage with the help of 3D and so 5D BIM modeling makes project conceptualization easier.

Using 5D software, design details can be pointed out with more clarity and it facilitates the analysis capability of the model.

5D ensures more take-offers during the stage of budget estimate.

Its efficiency to generate quantities for cost planning is higher than the traditional software and manual take off during the detailed cost plan stage.

As it helps identify potential risks at earlier stage, team can improve clash detection in design stage itself than traditional approaches can.

It increases ability to resolve RFI’s in real time.

As 5D BIM is able to model project options before and during construction, it improves estimating. reference bimforum know more then contact us.

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PhoenixEOS is the combined solutions provider working on parallel lines of engineering and architecture. Based in India, PhoenixEOS majorly works with offshore clients due to the benefits of their mandatory needs in building and architecture solutions.